More Than Scientists Video Campaign Looks to Put a Human Face on Climate Research

More Than Scientists (MTS), a video campaign launched today, hopes to provide a glimpse into the real lives of climate scientists and advocates in an effort to get more people involved in, and focused on, solutions to reverse the effects of global warming.

By putting the spotlight on not just the science itself, but why it matters and what it will mean for future generations, MTS wants to drive real action.

“We created More Than Scientists to make a better connection between the scientists and the people that need to hear their message,” said Eric Michelman, climate activist and director of the MTS campaign. “We want the public to meet the people behind the science and understand why they care about the world we’re leaving to our kids and grandkids.”

MTS allows the 97 percent of scientists who know that climate change is real, caused by human activity, and that efforts to reverse it are needed now more than ever, to share messages detailing their firsthand experiences.

“Too few people have seen the lighter and more personal side of climate scientists,” said Michael E. Mann, director of Penn State’s Earth System Science Center and member of the MTS advisory board. “Many of us are science nerds. But we are ordinary people too, and like anyone else, we care about our children and grandchildren, and the health of the world we leave behind.”

The videos tell the stories of what drives the scientists to do what they do. David McGee, an assistant professor at MIT, talks about losing his home in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Emmanuel Vincent, also from MIT, focuses on the ethics of climate change and how it’s the injustices that really strike him. And several scientists discuss how having children pushes them to work harder to make the world better for their families.

Bryce Harrop of the University of Washington, whose video focuses on what will happen to beer if climate change destroys the crops involved in brewing it, hopes these videos simply get people talking.

“Start a conversation with someone,” said Harrop, “your neighbor, your friend, your family members, and let them know this is something that’s important.”

“The big picture is very clear,” said McGee. “The climate is changing, humans are doing things that are causing the climate to change, and we have the power to stop that.”